Learning About Spend Management, Warts and All

As someone who loves to suck up knowledge -- and spit it out in what is hopefully a more succinct and analyzed form -- I love attending industry events which don't sugarcoat issues. Rather, the best events dive deep, avoiding coming off as infomercials for their sponsors balancing insight and learning. Those which can accomplish these feats -- especially those which can do it in less than a day -- have got my vote as worth attending. And if they're free, all the better. In the coming weeks, Ariba and Apexon will be taking Spend Management and Active Supply Management -- as they individually call them -- issues to the road, stopping at a number of cities to share customer and industry learnings.

Apexon's Breakfast Series will offer candid perspectives on the need for companies to better manage their supply base by taking an active approach to supply management. Stopping in Milwaukee, Michigan, and outside Chicago, the breakfast series looks to be quite educational, especially for companies wanting to take supply performance to the next level. Ariba's Spend Management Days will be making numerous stops across the country. This tour will highlight how companies are using Spend Management tactics, approaches, processes, and technology to change their buy-side game -- also highly educational, but broader than Apexon's breakfast show. Spend Management Days will be stopping in NYC, Detroit, Toronto, San Jose, Chicago, and DC.

If you're interested in learning more about the topics this blog covers on an everyday day on a deeper level, I'd strongly encourage you to check out both events. Unless my plans change, I'll be at the Apexon Chicago event. And I'm also hoping to make it to one of Ariba's Spend Management days (even though I'm already booked for another vendor speaking gig on the East coast the day of their swing through the windy city).